


flock

by harazaki (HopelessMasquerade)



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, Birthdays, Childhood Friends, Dating, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Multi, Platonic Relationships, written for kirisakiweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-18 14:03:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7318171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopelessMasquerade/pseuds/harazaki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of surprisingly related drabbles written for Kirisaki Daiichi Week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1 - Childhood

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to KiridaiiWeek! From the 27th of June, to the 3rd of July, I'll be uploading short drabbles written for this particular week.

It wasn't his first time visiting the library. However, just like all those times before, he couldn't help but to grin before that place's door. Makoto was a child, after all.

Because, after he'd barely witnessed that place for the first time, Makoto had decided that it would be his favorite place. After the second visit, he'd already memorized its floors, sections, and its location as well; despite this, his mother wouldn't let him go alone. Makoto was 7, for the love of God, yet he was often said to be even smarter than a high schooler.

He was 7, and also a smart, charming child who had found both calmness and pleasure on reading. Because of this, his parents thought about him as the perfect son, and his father had already thought about which schools he'd attend. His mother, however, simply wanted Makoto to have a quiet life and wanted him to follow his own instinct. She had never mentioned anything regarding Makoto's education before; only when it was brought up by his father.

She thought about all of this when she left Makoto at the kids' section before going shopping.

···

Despite being 7 years old, Makoto already found himself reading mature books -that is, teenage fiction. He'd gotten tired of all those childish books which his mother and the sitters would constantly bring him; and, because of his advantage over the other kids, Makoto had learned to read complex kanji before them. The boy would spend a good amount of time waiting for his mother to pick him up, while reading novels aimed to people which doubled his age.

The sitters were already more than used to this. Just like they were used to that shy child who would sit near the corner, apart from the other children, as if he were avoiding them. Said child would spend most of his time drawing, and he wouldn't talk to anybody, not even to the sitters.

That's why, when Makoto spotted him running towards a green table, he became slightly interested in him. Of course, he wasn't just going to speak to and bother him out of the blue, as his parents had previously taught him to not do so, and to respect people's private spaces. Makoto had been educated to be a polite child; a good boy after all.  
But they were children, and children never respected anybody's boundaries. Not even Makoto did. He was well-aware that his mother would scold him later if she found out, but it wasn't like he cared.

With a tiny smile on his face, he grabbed his book from the table and walked up to that child, trying to look as friendly as possible. The child, as shy as ever, simply looked away, clumsily covering his drawings with his hands, as if he didn't want Makoto to look at them.

It only made Makoto more curious than he alredy was, but he wasn't just going to stand there and try to peek at the boy's drawings. However, it would be a hard task as the boy kept covering his sheets and looking away from him. True was that Makoto had noticed a small degree of anxiety coming from the child, as it seemed like he was unable to handle that situation.

After he figured out that he really couldn't do anything to have the child open up to him, Makoto made the most logical choice: to just sit next to him and talk. That's what his mother would have told him to do, and it also happened to be a kind action.

At least, that's what seemed polite the most to him.

-Hey - Makoto's eyes widened with curiosity, and, once again, he tried to peek at the boy's drawings. - Is that a flower I see?

The boy nodded. To him, it felt like Makoto's intentions weren't bad at all, unlike those of the children he'd met before. Due to this, the boy, whoses eyes were fixed now in Makoto's, withdrew his hands from the sheets, showing a small drawing of some cherry blossoms.

···

-You... really think my drawings are good?

Makoto had assumed earlier that the boy was around his age; and so, he'd been impressed by his drawings. They were probably too good for a 7-year old, and had made Makoto realize that he wasn't that much of an artistic child: he did little aside from writings and haikus.

He'd also noticed that the boy wasn't truly used to compliments, because of the way he'd reacted when Makoto praised the cherry blossom drawing. The child had simply looked away from him, as if he'd been embarrassed by the compliment. To him, that child was not only shy, but also distant, as if he didn't know how to behave during social situations. Like his mother would say, he was socially awkward.

It didn't stop Makoto from complimenting him again.

-I think so! - It was hard to believe that Makoto would become a totally different person by the age of 13. - I'm Makoto, by the way. Do you perhaps live around?

Makoto's strange cheerfulness managed to calm down the boy, who simply lowered his head and nodded. One of the sitters peeked at them for a moment and smiled, as if she was proud of the child. And the child himself had been surprised by his own behavior: he'd never really thought that he'd get along with someone.

Yet all Makoto could think of was making friends and solving the terrifying Rubik's cube.

-I'm actually from Setagaya... - the child took a short breath and tried to get rid of his nervousness. And it miraculously worked. - This library isn't that far away from home, so my parents actually bring me here a lot.

-Eh, I see. What's your name?

The child gulped. It had been the first time in which someone actually wanted to be friends with him. Luckily, it would be genuine friendship and not just a child pretending to be friends just for his sake, like it had happened times before. Except that this one particular time, it wouldn't.

-Kojiro. I-I'm Kojiro - he muttered, while playing around with a pencil.

For some reason, it made Makoto smile.

Makoto peeked at the room's clock for a moment before turning his gaze back to his book. It had now been five minutes since his mother left, and, just like each time she'd gone shopping, Makoto already knew that she'd need at least a couple of minutes more -considering that she was simply shopping for foodstuff.

A couple of minutes which he could perfectly spend by talking with his newly-made friend.

···

Kojiro pointed to one of his drawings, this one being a white flower. Most of his drawings, if not the entirety, were of flowers and bushes which he'd witnessed at some point. It had a strange design, as if it had grown wings, even resembling a small insect or a bird.

Despite not being that interested in gardening, Makoto actually seemed curious about that one particular flower.

-It's a habenaria radiata. They're really common around my area.

It seemed like Kojiro's shyness faded whether he spoke about flowers and anything concerning gardening. To Makoto, rather than strange, it was curious. But he wasn't nor he'd been a shy kid, so it was almost something new to him.

They've spent a while looking at Kojiro's drawings while waiting for either Makoto's mother or Kojiro's parents to pick them up. The sitters seemed to be proud of them, particularly Kojiro, who had been trying his best to overcome his shyness ever since he began talking with Makoto.

···

Shortly after the flower talk ended, a woman showed up next to Makoto. She carried a good amount of bags, all of them containing foodstuffs and diverse goods. It was Makoto's mother, and she commented that she'd finished earlier than expected, which made Makoto happy. As soon as he saw his mother, he stood up and picked his book, smiling at the woman and the sitters around them.

Kojiro could only help but watch. He'd initially thought that Makoto's mother would get a bad impression of him. But she didn't: instead, Makoto immediately told her and the other sitters about that new friend which he'd made and his drawings. Obviously, Kojiro didn't know how to react before this, so he simply nodded at them and showed them that one habenaria radiata drawing he'd shown Makoto before, as well as some other few ones.

Patting Makoto's head, the woman smiled at Kojiro. She seemed more generous than she actually was. And Makoto looked exactly like her; specially the eyebrows.

-I'm so glad my Makoto made such a talented friend - she lowered her head upon Kojiro, who just kept looking away, mildly flattered. - Really, he can be loud at times, but he really is a kind child. I know you and Makoto will be good friends.

For Kojiro, making a friend had been something impossible until then. It seemed too good to be even real, but it was, and Kojiro couldn't be any happier with it.

That's why, when they said goodbye to each other and Makoto left that library, it made him a bit sad. Those ten minutes which they'd spent together talking about diverse flower types and their meanings, during which Kojiro had shown him each one of his drawings and Makoto had taught him how to half-solve a Rubik's cube, had been shorter than Kojiro had expected. Now, he truly wished that it'd been longer.

Kojiro wondered if he and Makoto would ever meet again.


	2. Day 2 - Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A simple yet silly idea which I've had on my mind for a while.
> 
> Prompts were Family or Daily Lives.

-And I'm telling you! My sister, my goddamn sister. She's in a fucking relationship!

Hiroshi usually didn't care about romantic topics. In fact, he ignored them most of the time, while claiming that "romance wasn't that important". He actually wasn't any ready for a relationship, as he could be really impulsive at times and didn't know how to react in crucial moments.

Everything which he knew regarding romance was that some, if not most of the couples were repulsive, and that it was often about having money and buying dumb stuff for your lover and just getting along with each other. He couldn't help but wonder as to why romantic themes seemed so important to everybody, when there were many other things in life to worry about. Such as videogames and getting decent grades.

It wasn't until his older sister began dating a certain individual that he began to fear love.

-Dude, Zaki, it can't be that bad - Kazuya giggled through the phone. - I mean, my bro's dating someone too, so I kinda know how you're feeling.

-Your brother? You mean Shigeo-

Before Hiroshi could say anything, someone rang their doorbell, thus startling him. At first, he'd wanted his sister to open herself, but he wanted to meet her boyfriend. Being his sister the kind of person she was, Hiroshi expected the worst. He didn't expect some sort of damn blue prince with perfect manners, nor he expected someone with a personality that of Makoto's.

Really, whoever his sister was dating couldn't be any good.

At the living room, he witnessed his older brother and his father. Sometimes, Hiroshi felt like his older brother knew things which he didn't, such as complex mathematical formulas and who was his older sisters' boyfriend. He'd never bothered to ask, though, as he knew beforehand that he'd get short, ironic comments as a response, and Hiroshi had never been any good with irony.

As he made his way to the entrance, a shiver ran through his body, as if something bad were to happen. It most likely had to do with whoever his sister's turned out to be. Previously, Hiroshi had thought that the worst that could happen were fifty extra laps because of Kazuya's fault. But not a goddamn relationship.

 _It can't be that bad_ , he thought to himself and gulped, grabbing the doorknob. Whoever happened to be behind that door had met his father's expectations and gained his respect. A terrifying individual, to say the least.

When he opened the door, however...

-Eh, if it isn't Yamazaki-kun - a messy-haired, skinny man grinned. - Didn't Kazuya told you?

Hiroshi stood there for a solid minute. His jaw dropped and his eyes turned blank, and the few words which he'd managed to articulate had been a soft, raspy "god fucking dammit" as Kazuya's older brother made his way to the living room.

Kazuya had subsequently joined them too.

···

-Don't be like that, Zaki. It can't be that bad.

Kazuya was wrong. He wasn't seeing things from Hiroshi's perspective. He didn't know that his own brother, an irony-lover who often relied on slightly offensive pranks on his younger brothers to make people laugh, was now dating Hiroshi's sister, someone who had and still bullied said boy just for the sake of a couple laughs.

Their partnership could be even worse than that of Makoto and Shoichi's.

Hiroshi simply ignored him. He'd already had enough when learning the sad truth about his sister and her secret relationship. Having to bear with Kazuya's foolish comments about the topic wasn't the best idea too, since it seemed like he didn't understand the _seriousness_ of that topic.

Meanwhile, Hiroshi's older brother watched over them to make sure that Hiroshi didn't snap at Kazuya.

-You're right, it can't be bad at all - Hiroshi spoke, while picking up a pair of controllers for him and Kazuya. - It's the fucking worst.

As soon as Hiroshi's brother tried to say something, some giggles could be heard coming from the living room, as if they were making fun of somebody. Only Hiroshi's brother was aware of the fact that their father was also in that living room, and he knew that it couldn't be good.

It was one of his duties to take care of the silly, slightly altered teenagers in the room. Those teenagers would soon play some fighting games, which happened to be Hiroshi's favorites. Except that, this time, the redhead wanted to focus on a relationship rather than one of his favorite games. And that was his brother's other duty: to watch over the pseudo-date that was now taking place at the living room, just to see if the girl would play one of her cards.

And she did. It had been the very start.

-Alright, you two play some games or whatever people your age do. As long as you're not- - His eyes widened upon the sight in front of him. _No_. Anything but that. - Uh, Hiroshi?

-Yeah? - The redhead grumbled, holding one of the controllers as he turned his head.

-It's the navy book.

Shocked, Hiroshi immediately stood up and dropped his controller. That book never meant any good, specially when it was on her hands. It was almost a sin beneath the Yamazaki family, and Hiroshi could barely hear its name without gulping down and feeling a sudden wave of anxiety across his body.

Obviously, Kazuya didn't know what to say. He knew for sure that his older brother would mention some embarrassing anecdotes having to do with him after a while, but he wasn't so sure about Hiroshi's sister. In fact, he'd thought about her as a nice person, given his first impressions of her.

Both brothers watched, agitated, as the woman opened the infamous navy book. Kazuya watched them, mildly curious, as he picked the game's story mode, feeling as if Hiroshi wasn't going to play the game now that the whole dating thing had begun.

-What's with the navy shit? - Kazuya pouted. - It's a book, it can't be that bad.

 _It can't be that bad_.

That's everything Kazuya had commented so far about seemingly small problems which could ruin Hiroshi's day. He didn't know how the navy book could ruin his brother's image of Hiroshi.

-To summarize it, it's an album full of pictures from Hiroshi's childhood - the older man spoke, slowly opening the door to take a better glimpse of what was happening. - It contains all kinds of pictures. But, specially, embarrassing ones. Hiroshi really, really hates it.

Hiroshi sighed. To have one of his weaknesses exposed like that, particularly in front of Kazuya, had been a huge miscalculation. But the worst was yet to come.

-Don't tell me she's gonna show Shigeo-san that goddamn picture - he gulped.

-She'll definitely do - Hiroshi's brother was surprisingly quiet before that situation. - You know that's how it works.

And Hiroshi didn't like how it worked. True was that he'd already gotten used to Kazuya's continuous pranks, but it became different when it had to do with his older sister, since she was an adult. He could yell at Kazuya and blame him as much as he wanted to, and, somehow, Makoto allowed him to. But it was incredibly different when his sister was involved, since she was the oldest one of the Yamazaki siblings. Not even the older brother could touch her.

With the infamous navy album on her hands, she was literally untouchable. Hiroshi couldn't dash into the living room and snatch the album from her hands, because their father, and sadly, her date, also happened to be there. Hiroshi's older brother, Mikoto, could do something, since he was an adult too: however, the same restrictions which forbid Hiroshi from taking the navy album affected him too.

All that was left was to watch as that woman bonded with her recently-found boyfriend. Kazuya still hadn't understood why something like that seemed to be so goddamn serious.

···

Barely five minutes later, Kazuya found himself laughing uncontrollably at both of the men's comments. Hiroshi had went from hostile and cool to a literal raging volcano: his sister had shown Kazuya's older brother that one picture. A picture in which his younger self had wet his pants after losing to his brother at a videogame, and which his sister had took just to piss him off.

Just when Hiroshi had learned to control his anger issues, his older sister thought that it was the perfect day to ruin a perfect mood.

-Promise me you won't break anything - Mikoto muttered, as tense as his younger brother was. Except that his strain couldn't be compared the slightest to Hiroshi's.

But Hiroshi was perhaps too tense to control himself at the moment. It all got worse when Kazuya's laughter resonated in his head, as if Kazuya was laughing at him instead of the whole album story.

When Kazuya's giggles ceased, he took a deep breath. He'd lost multiple times at a videogame just because of something which shouldn't matter to him, yet it hadn't seemed like he'd cared. Once again, he turned to the red-haired brothers, and, for a split second, he sensed something similar to a killer instinct coming from Hiroshi. Much worse than Makoto's anger.

-Not unless she mentions the fucking summer anecdote - Hiroshi hissed, angrily grabbing the bed's border as he watched. - If she does, she's fucking dead to me.

-Dude, she's your sis - Kazuya's tone turned serious towards the end.

Before those words, Hiroshi immediately turned to the purple-haired boy, rather enraged.

-But you don't know what kind of person she is, goddammit! Like, yeah, your brother may be an ass, but sis-

Suddenly, Mikoto silenced them both. The worst was about to happen.

After Hiroshi's older sister and Shigeo stopped cackling at that anecdote, she took a deep breath. There was one last anecdote which she could share in order to gain Shigeo's affection, but it wasn't exactly a funny one. It was more about embarrassing a certain sibling. She was well-aware that her father would tell her, at some point, that he'd had enough, but it was worth the try.

She began to spoke as Kazuya crawled between the red-haired brothers, stealing a relatively small spot on the bed. Hiroshi clicked his tongue on annoyance as the game's fast-paced, loud music played on the background. It was more than he could bear.

Soon, some giggles could be heard from the living room. It was Hiroshi's older sister, Naru. It also would be what Hiroshi feared the most.

-There's also this one incident which took place when Hiroshi was about ten years old - she chuckled. - Everybody in our family was shocked.

A loud screech came from Hiroshi's room. He would be unable to bear it.


	3. Day 3 - Playstyle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt was Playstyle or consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory JoJo references.

The first days after Seto Kentaro joined Kirisaki Daiichi's basketball team were probably some of the best -and simultaneously worst- for the team.

It was good, because Hanamiya Makoto had found someone whoses intelligence was similar to his, and with whom he could discuss new strategies and possible patterns. He'd been the one to invite Seto to the team, slightly taking advantage of the fact that said boy admired him, while also claiming that he didn't have to feel forced to join.

It was also bad, because Seto's arrival had also meant endless jokes coming from Hara himself, who, because of his appearance, had initially thought that Seto would become their new coach. He'd also made countless jokes about Seto's appearance as well, specially about his disconcerting forehead mole. However, Seto had been practically unaffected by them.

Someone who had also made jokes about Seto and his appearance had been Yamazaki. Except that his weren't understood by the majority of the team.

-A stand. Hanamiya's gonna use that guy as a stand! - he yelled, watching as both Hanamiya and Seto entered the coach's room.

The rest of the team could only stare in disappointment as he went on a rant comparing his bright teammates to some anime character. Hara was the only one that got the redhead's references; Yamazaki had previously forced him to watch the anime which he was talking about. Hara had found those rants oddly funny, as if Yamazaki yelled on purpose.

-Dude, Zaki, you've been saying so ever since that geezer joined. It shouldn't be such a fuckin' deal.

-He's not a geezer - Furuhashi suddenly interrupted, holding a basketball as he turned towards the coach's room. - Even if you don't think so, he's the same age as us. Also, I don't know about the stand thing, but Hanamiya already stated that he'd become a key player for the team.

As Yamazaki kept rambling about Seto and his similarities with the infamous stands, Furuhashi went back to practice, and Hara simply stood there, watching as Hanamiya wrote something down on his notebook. There were many things which he still didn't understand, such as why Hanamiya needed someone specific for some weird strategies, and why Seto looked so old for his age.

He also didn't understand as to why Yamazaki kept on rambling about the whole stand thing and how nobody said anything. Previously, when he'd tried to press Seto's forehead mole, all he'd gotten had been numerous complaints from him and a pissed off Hanamiya telling him to run fifty laps outside.

Hanamiya had actually complained about Yamazaki's rants, but not enough to have him run those same laps under barely 40 degrees. And Hara had found this certainly hypocritical: his had been a joke, while Yamazaki unironically compared a teenager to something he'd seen on an anime. Surprisingly, both of them were proud of themselves; Hara the most.

When Hanamiya and Seto finally went back to the gymnasium, Hara was the first one to step towards them.

-So? - he grinned. - What's the geezer for?

Seto's face didn't show the slightest degree of disappointment towards this, nor he looked any affected. In fact, that comment had only pissed Hanamiya, and not because it was meant to piss them off.

-To summarize it, Kentaro will be assisting me with passes. We still have to come up with patterns, though, as he's just joined-

-I knew. I fucking knew - Yamazaki rose his voice from afar, and thus, Hanamiya clicked his tongue. Coaching a team was even worse than he'd initially thought. - Our captain's a goddamn stand user. It's only a matter of time before-

Hanamiya sighed. It had nearly been the last straw.

-Yama, fifty laps. And if you complain it'll be seventy.

Instead of running, Yamazaki simply stood there, speechless. But it had been Hara's laugher what had become the last straw; a bunch of cackles had totally ended with Hanamiya's patience.

-Also, Kazuya - he turned towards said boy, thus having a shiver run through his body -, you better go with him.

A shocked Hara stared at his captain as he picked up a towel from the floor. It didn't seem like Hanamiya regretted his choice: he even looked somewhat proud of himself. Because, right now, all he wanted was to slightly explain Seto's purpose to the team; he didn't want to deal with either Hara or Yamazaki, just like he'd done before.

Furuhashi, as apathetic and indifferent as usual, walked up to them, seemingly unaffected by what had previously happened.

-Anything else?

-That's pretty much all I had to say - Hanamiya sighed, having Seto hold his notebook as he quickly placed the towel over his shoulder -, but there's actually something else.  
It was now Seto's turn to talk. He'd barely interacted with anybody but Hanamiya since he joined, and it hadn't been because of fear.

-True is that your captain's main purpose is to have me assist him with passing. He's mentioned something else, and it's that he'd like to develop-

-We'd like to develop some kind of pattern that could stop a team from playing - Hanamiya nonchalantly interrupted, snatching the notebook from Seto's hands. - I'm aware that the possibilities of developing such a pattern are close to zero, but I have some things in mind. Kentaro's memorizing skills, of course, will be essential for this.

If Yamazaki had only been there, then he would already be complaining about Hanamiya's unability to properly explain himself without sounding even more complex than he already did. However, it wasn't Hanamiya's entire fault, as Yamazaki didn't really pay much attention to his explanations either.

Hara would've just tried to summarize Hanamiya's words, having said boy increase his punishment and make it into one hundred laps, still without any regrets. It wasn't like Hanamiya cared about those dumbasses' thoughts on the matter, as Furuhashi was already there to give his opinion. Which, in most cases, was a poorly made-up one-liner.

···

If Yamazaki had to describe that day's practice, he'd simply call it "masochism". Never before had Hanamiya made them run for that long, nor they had trained until nearly 21:00. Something like that usually happened whether Hanamiya was angry at them; he was supposed to let them rest and give them some free time for homework and studies, not to put them through an exhausting schedule until the sky turned dark and the Moon showed herself.

As if Yamazaki's day hadn't been shitty enough, someone well-known awaited for him outside the gym. It was one of his classmates -and at the same time, a childhood friend of his-, who had previously spoken to him about how much he wanted to join a sports club. No clubs admitted members at the moment, yet the basketball club had a free spot which Hanamiya didn't really care about.

The redhead told Hara that he wouldn't be heading home with him, and walked up to his friend afterwards. Yamazaki seemed far more composed than before, even though he'd just been through nearly 70 laps thanks to Hara's saltiness.

-Um, Yamazaki? - the boy waved, and Yamazaki eyed him for a moment. - You guys seem to take basketball kind of seriously. I mean, it's gotten pretty late.

-Yeah - Yamazaki stuttered, scratching the back of his head as he spoke. - We... We actually practice a lot.

It would be hard for Yamazaki to explain what his team truly was. In fact, he would just not do it, and would try to avoid as many questions about it as possible. Because, if that guy were to know the truth behind the basketball club's exhaustive schedules, he would probably not talk to Yamazaki again.

And the redhead would hate having one of his best friends leave him because of rough play. Anything but that. Specially because having his friend know about rough play would bring worse consequences than just losing him.

-Then, your captain must love basketball a lot!

Yamazaki simply tittered at him. Anybody that claimed that Hanamiya Makoto loved basketball didn't know the truth behind the basketball team, and probably would never know. The kind of truth that shouldn't ever be known outside the team itself.

-We... We really work a lot, yeah, since we actually happen to have a... Very peculiar goal. Which - he stuttered for a moment, making sure he wouldn't screw up at any moment -, you know, is winning every single match, beating tournaments, all that shit.

If Hanamiya had heard even the smallest bit of that excuse, he would sure be laughing at Yamazaki right now. Even Yamazaki had no problem acknowledging that his excuses had sucked.

On the other side, he was glad to know that pretty much everybody but him had left already. Specially Hara. Having someone like him around would've just made Yamazaki lose some precious time. He sighed in relief as his friend watched, staring at him with a slightly concerned look.

-You tired?

-Kinda - the redhead grinned, as he picked his bag from the floor. - I'm just... Really fucking tired.

-Yamazaki - his friend chuckled, following him as Yamazaki left the gym -, you're always tired. Anyway...

While that last comment managed to piss him off, Yamazaki managed to retain some of his composture. He wouldn't get angry at his friend because of a comment of the same caliber of those that Hanamiya had thrown at him many times before.

-Huh? - Yamazaki suddenly stopped in order to listen to his friend.

-It would've been cool to play basketball with you guys, really. Dunno why - he shook his shoulders -, but it seems to me that your team really, really loves basketball.

Yamazaki now felt like he was being tested. He just wanted their conversation to end before he spilled anything about rough play or the fact that Hanamiya Makoto was more than the "cold smartie" everybody thought he was. It would not only be a huge mistake, but would also distance him and most of his friends if they ever knew.

He drew a fake smile and pretended that he hadn't been any affected by his friend's words.

-Yeah, we're really damn hard-working and all... - his hands trembled and so did his voice, and Yamazaki did his best to not slap his friend. He then rose his head to the sky for a moment, and after looking at the Moon for a dull second, he turned back to him. - A-Anyway, it's getting really late. See ya!

Suddenly, Yamazaki's pace quickened as he left his friend behind; the boy tried to reach for him, but Yamazaki was just too _goddamn_ fast. He really didn't mean to offend him, but he didn't want to spend another five minutes carelessly holding his urge to slap himself and his friend just because he had to hide a stupid fact about his team. And Yamazaki was well-aware of the fact that he would have to apologize to him when they met again at class the next day.

It wasn't like he cared, though, since he'd avoided revealing the truth about the basketball team and losing his patience at the same time. However, it had also made him feel guilty: he could've just changed their conversation's topic, but, somehow, he chose the hard path. It felt like some sort of unexpected punishment because of what he'd said about Seto hours before. Except that it wasn't; it had been something which he himself had gotten into. It had been his entire fault.

Right now, all Yamazaki could do was looking at the moon all the way home and reminding himself that he could always makes thing up with that friend, even if it had been just a mishap.


	4. Day 4 - Furuhashi's birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt was Furu's birthday or Intelligence, so I made some sort of mix.
> 
> The next 2 drabbles are sort of angsty (^:

The 30th had arrived sooner than expected, and with it, Furuhashi’s birthday and the very start of his intensive studying schedule. And this time, he wasn’t just aiming for good grades, but he also aimed for the school ranking’s top ten. Furuhashi would have to make a great effort in order to succeed; it would even include him sometimes skipping practice in order to revise his notes. Which would be something that Hanamiya wouldn’t like at all.

His very first challenge was an upcoming Modern Literature exam which he could pass without any problems; still, Hanamiya would get higher grades than him. Because of his nature, Furuhashi hadn’t asked any of his teammates about their upcoming exams, and it wasn’t like he cared about them. He wasn’t aware of Hara and Yamazaki’s imminent English Grammar exam, nor he knew that, on that very same moment, those two were heading to his home, looking for a certain dead-eyed _teen_ that would help them.

-Eh… Happy birthday?

If Hara and Yamazaki had been birthday presents, Furuhashi would’ve stared at them with the most awkward look ever, just to dump them in the trash can afterwards.

However, his expression hadn’t changed at all: he just rose an eyebrow at them, and fixed his eyes on Hara as he anxiously flapped his hands, awaiting for a response. Meanwhile, Yamazaki thought about sneaking in while Furuhashi wasn’t looking, but forgot about that idea almost immediately, as Furuhashi would totally notice if he did.

-You two could’ve gone to Hanamiya or Seto’s homes, you know.

-Dude, Furu, we wanted to celebrate your birthday - Hara smiled, peeking at Furuhashi’s home, as if he was looking for someone. - On the other side, Hana-chan’s accent is weird and Taro-chan’s pronunciation sucks. Plus, you get really good grades in English-

-Guess I have no choice - he sighed, letting both Hara and Yamazaki in.

Furuhashi didn’t know what he’d gotten himself into yet.

···

In the kotatsu, there were multiple baskets with diverse sweets in them, including taiyaki, which Furuhashi’s father had left before. There were also a couple books; a Modern Literature one which obviously belonged to Furuhashi, and a Biology one, which belonged to his younger sister. Aside from that, there wasn’t much to look at in that living room, with the exception of some family pictures and the garden outside, which had been created and taken care of by Furuhashi’s mother.

Hara suddenly became awkwardly jealous of his family.

The very first thing which Yamazaki did after he sat down was picking one of the taiyaki from the basket, while Hara simply placed his notebook on the table. For once, it seemed like Hara actually cared about his grades and Yamazaki didn’t, unlike most of the time. A confused Furuhashi sat next to Hara as he opened his notebook, hoping that Furuhashi would be able to help them.

-See, it’s gonna be a really fuckin’ hard exam - the blond quickly turned the notebook’s pages until he reached a certain page, containing a long wall of text which supposedly had been written in English. - And I really need to pass it, man.

-Shouldn’t your big brother help you instead?

-Well - Hara stuttered as Furuhashi snatched the notebook from him -, I accidentally made him believe that I’m fuckin’ good at English, and he thinks I don’t need any help…

Furuhashi sighed in distress. Even though he was someone that usually couldn’t empathise with people at all, right now he could slightly understand why Hanamiya kept complaining about coaching the team.

-Just give me a minute…

The blond crossed his arms and leaned closer to the table. He didn’t exactly believe in his writing skills, nor he though his English was the best, but he couldn’t possibly have made many mistakes. After all, he didn’t suck that much at English. Or did he?

Meanwhile, for Furuhashi, the one that liked masochist people, reading Hara’s text felt like something worse than masochism itself. It made him regret having let Hara and Yamazaki into his home. He wondered if Hara even payed attention during English class. Because, if Hara’s grammar was like that while practising, he couldn’t help but think about how terribly his upcoming exam would go.

Generally, Furuhashi would’ve just given Hara back his notebook and told him to act by himself. But he doubted whether Hara could do such a thing. Especially when his eyes hurt after reading such a badly-written text.

-So? - An excited Hara rocked back and forth as he awaited for a response.

Furuhashi didn’t care about whether his comment would hurt Hara’s feelings or not.

-To be blunt, it’s awful - Hara’s smile quickly vanished. - If you were to attempt the exam with such a grammar, you’d get little more than a 30.

Yamazaki, whoses English grades nearly doubled Hara’s, simply listened to their conversation as he picked yet another taiyaki from the basket. His actual purpose was still unknown, although he too wanted Furuhashi to help him with his own grammar.

-Just - Hara lowered his head, disappointed with himself - tell me about my mistakes, please. They can’t be that bad… I mean, I tried my best. Plus I don’t think my English sucks that much.

-Let’s see… - Furuhashi didn’t notice his sister walking into the living room. He placed Hara’s notebook on the table and gave it a stern look, pointing to a specific sentence. - Here, you wrote “didn’t liked”.

-That sounds alright to me, man.

-I’ll read the whole sentence. “He didn’t liked it when the rain fell on the city, and the sound it makes is annoying.”

-I’m telling you, Furu - he yawned, stealing the notebook from Furuhashi’s hands -, it can’t sound that bad. Just tell me that I did wrong, dammit.

Once again, Furuhashi sighed. Yamazaki was now busy helping his younger sister with her Biology homework, which Furuhashi had found rather comforting. However, he couldn’t help but feel slightly envious of Yamazaki, as his duty was much easier than his, since it didn’t took his sister nearly five years to learn something as simple as the present continuous.

It felt like all the English which Hara had learned had been from music games and songs in that same language.

-First of all, you’re mixing a bunch of tenses. If we assume that you were trying to write a sentence in simple past, then… - he stole one of his sister’s pens, just to write something on Hara’s notebook - There you go. I’ve pointed out what you did wrong.

Hara dragged the notebook towards himself, mildly surprised at how quickly Furuhashi had corrected that sentence. He then proceeded to read it.

“He didn’t _like_ it when the rain fell _upon_ the city; the sound it _made was_ annoying.”

-Well - a bewildered Hara said -, that makes more sense.

Furuhashi’s expression still hadn’t changed at all. He wondered if Hara would really make it with only a few hours until the exam, considering the fact that they had to attend practice in less than an hour. Right now, Hara could aim for a mere 50, which was already enough to pass the exam; but it was most likely as if he’d have to repeat the exam.

He didn’t believe in Hara, and Hara was deathly afraid of failure. If he got less than a 50 on that exam, he’d probably break down in the middle of the class and start blaming himself because of his laziness. July’s exams would only make it worse.

On the other side, Furuhashi wondered if that truly was how he’d spend his eighteenth birthday. He wondered whether having to teach a teammate about the many different tenses of English had been a coincidence, or a birthday gift. If it had been the last one, it sure had been a strange gift.

-Anyway, Furu… - he leaned closer to the teen and surrounded him with one arm, as if he were to drag him closer. - Happy birthday.

-You already wished me a happy one, but thanks.

-I don’t have any gifts, man. - Hara’s head was suspiciously close to Furuhashi’s cheek.

-And I couldn’t care less. Nevertheless, do you really think you’ll be able to get a 50 tomorrow?

Hara looked away for a moment. Now that he’d mentioned Furuhashi’s birthday, he wanted to stop studying and having him proofread his writing, in order to celebrate a decent birthday party. On the other side, he wanted to celebrate that same birthday party during practice, willing to convince Hanamiya in order to attend a fast-food chain or another cheap restaurant after practice.

He also wondered about what kind of gift Hanamiya would give to Furuhashi.

-If you think you’ll be able to teach me in less than one hour, then I will - Hara smirked.

There were still fifty minutes left until practice begun. 

While Yamazaki helped Furuhashi’s sister with her homework, Furuhashi would try his best in order for Hara to understand that he couldn’t just throw three tenses in the same sentence, and that listening to English songs didn’t immediately make him a philologist. Hara didn’t have to worry about his pronunciation, though, but it was his grammar what had made Furuhashi worry on the first place.

Hara wondered if pecking Furuhashi’s cheek would make for a decent birthday gift.


	5. Day 5 - Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt was either Future or Bonds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you know i would've gone for something funny but seems like i can't write anything without A Little Bit Of Angst

What Hara thought that would be the hardest practice session so far, turned out to be nothing more than a joke once Hanamiya spoke about his actual plans for that day. No, they wouldn't play against an elementary school team, nor practice had been cancelled. In fact, they would have regular practice, with the exception that Hanamiya wouldn't be there to coach them, and neither would Furuhashi. For Hara, all of this sounded like good news, just like all the previous days in which Hanamiya had been entirely gone from practice; until Furuhashi came back from the lockers, that is.

It seemed like those two would be gone the entire evening, doing chores at the captain's home; and it hadn't been the first time in which something like this had happened. Therefore, today was Seto's turn to watch over the team, and his schedule was no worse from Hanamiya or Furuhashi's.

The exact same reason as to why Hanamiya had doubted about leaving the team to him. Despite showing a bored, down-to-earth expression, Furuhashi had noticed his worryness; Hanamiya had been like that ever since that one day, and, regardless of how many days it had been since that accident, it didn't look like it would go away. At this point, Hanamiya had even started to regret leaving the team for so long, but never had his teammates thought about such behavior as self-centered.

After all, he did it for his own good.

-Being honest, you should stay at home this entire evening - his fingers brushed against Hanamiya's for a second; afterwards, Furuhashi withdrew them and acted like nothing had happened. - You shouldn't coach us until you truly feel better.

-I know, Kojiro. But I can't help but feel selfish in some kind of way.

To say that Furuhashi had been surprised by Hanamiya's sudden display of what seemed to be some sort of alienated empathy wouldn't be enough. For someone like him, who had always thought that Hanamiya was nothing more than a charismatic classmate and an interesting leader, seeing him show feelings other than grief and craving had been certainly surprising.

Not that it was something bad.

-Would you mind if I stayed with you today?

-You already know the answer to this, Kojiro - he reluctantly replied, unlocking his home's door.

Usually, his home's atmosphere was quiet, even tender, and they would've been immediately welcomed by Hanamiya's mother. For a moment, Hanamiya thought that she would walk outside the living room to greet them, reminding himself afterwards that such a thing wouldn't happen, no matter how much he wished for it.

Both boys left their shoes on the genkan, and while Furuhashi headed towards the kitchen, Hanamiya simply stood there, staring at a small picture of his younger self placed on a table, alongside a vase of white chrystanthemums. He tried to look away, but it was more than impossible, since that picture showed his mother too. It had been like that for nearly one week, and not just with that picture, but with anything which reminded Hanamiya of his mother in general.

He sighed and finally removed his eyes from that picture, peeking at the kitchen afterwards, where he saw Furuhashi filling a watering can. He tried to remove the image of his mother doing the same thing, but it was too hard; almost everything on his home reminded Hanamiya of her, to the point his fingers turned cold and he ended up removing some small tears from his eyes. Hanamiya still had to get used to the fact that he would have to live alone.

The living room wasn't completely different, given the fact that each room had turned slightly gloomy ever since that day. It was surprisingly tidy, and there really wasn't anything to look at aside from a small frame placed on the floor, and a bunch of aster tataricus placed on the kotatsu. Furuhashi arrived after him, holding the watering can from before, just to head towards the garden. It had been like that for a week now, and, as much as Hanamiya enjoyed Furuhashi's company, he was unable to fully thank him for all his support.

He grabbed the aster tataricus and took a deep breath, quietly sitting down in front of the picture. All which could be heard were the sparrow's chirping and water dripping, along the cicada's chanting, while both the Sun and sky dyed that room in dozens of warm colors, with orange predominating over them all. Hanamiya then joined his hands together, and showed a faint smile as he fixed his eyes on the picture.

-I hope you're doing good - he narrowed his eyes and left the aster tataricus alongside the picture, with tears forming on their corners -, mom.

He then brought his hands closer to his face and proceeded to pray for her well-being, while holding back his tears. A concerned Furuhashi stared from the garden, thinking about what he could do to make his friend feel better.

She wasn't coming back, and Hanamiya was well-aware of that. His mother had been the one that taught him the meaning of strength; the very reason as to why Hanamiya had refused to move with either one of his friends or even his father, whom he'd met again at the funeral. The first days alone had been especially hard, since he'd not only gotten a terrible amount of sleep; he'd also struggled quite a lot with the fact that his mother was now gone.

Luckily, Furuhashi had been there for him, staying over at his home and making sure that he got some sleep and didn't forget to eat.

-You're doing really good - Furuhashi patted his shoulder as Hanamiya refused to cry.

The dead-eyed teen wanted to tell him that crying was also a part of being strong, but it would sound highly different from his usual words. It sounded like something which his mother would have told him. All that Furuhashi could do was to hold his hand, comfort him during his most painful moments, and make sure that he ate and got some rest.  
And, really, Hanamiya did appreciate those small gestures.

-Seriously, you don't need to worry about me - Hanamiya faintly replied, while removing small tears from his eyes. - I do appreciate it, though.

-Still, you should let me stay here for a while. Your performance this morning was awful, and to think that I got a higher grade than you in Physics kind of bothers me.

Hanamiya sighed, slowly rising from the floor. To try and cheer him up, Furuhashi thought about hugging him: however, he declined this idea almost immediately, as Hanamiya would most likely reject, if not break down over that hug. Plus, Furuhashi thought that he hadn't done enough by ensuring Hanamiya's welfare: despite him having an important lack of empathy, seeing Hanamiya go through such a hard time may have triggered something on him.

He didn't want to see Hanamiya cry, but at this point, it was an unavoidable scenario. Furuhashi would have to watch as their captain, often known as the 'Bad Boy', slipped deeper and deeper into a depression that he hadn't asked for, as he withdrew himself from his teammates and close ones.

-Do as you want - Hanamiya sighed, removing his necktie.

Furuhashi, however, hadn't liked his reply a bit. More than a reply, it had felt like Hanamiya just wanted to get rid of him, when all he wanted was an honest reply. Aside from that, he wanted to know if Hanamiya wanted to cry, to eat, or if he just wanted to be left alone. He wanted Hanamiya to be honest with him, even if it was just for once.

He kept a stoic expression, following Hanamiya all the way to his room. Furuhashi nearly stopped him midway just to drag him into a long hug, and tell him that both him and the team supported him and knew that things would eventually get better, and that they would always be there for him. Which was something fairly surprising, as Furuhashi rarely showed that much empathy.

But dealing with Hanamiya would be much harder than he though. Specially after failing to comfort him so many times, often having the black-haired boy act like it had worked. Furuhashi knew when this happened, but had refused to confront him about it.

Until that day.

-You know what I think? - Furuhashi asked, as he joined him on his room.

-Go for it - a silent Hanamiya replied, staring at the books placed on his desk. - But, Kojiro, just go back with the team. I can-

-You keep saying that you can handle this all by yourself, but the amount of times you've broken down in front of me has been countless. Honestly, you should stop being this selfish - it didn't sound like something which he would say, but Hanamiya kept listening to him. - You have teammates, after all. And we don't like seeing you behave like this.

Before Hanamiya could say anything, Furuhashi finally dragged him into a hug, as if he didn't want to let go. The truth, however, was that he just wanted to make Hanamiya understand that he couldn't just ignore all the people around him. That he wouldn't beat his ongoing depression like that, just pushing people away.

On the other side, Hanamiya felt some sort of unexplainable feeling, which had started as a raging warmth on his heart. As Furuhashi patted his back, that warmth seemed to spread throughout his entire body; it made him feel physically weak, and made his hands tremble at the same time. His breath turned sloppy as that same warmth somehow reached his mind, mixing with his depression, and developing into a swarm of feelings which touched him almost immediately. And then, he finally understood.

His mother had taught him to be strong throughout those nine years. Now that he'd been left alone after a fatal accident, Hanamiya had chosen to live all by himself, attempting to carry on alone and refusing to accept any help. What he didn't know was that strength didn't always rely on tought choices and that, occasionally, he needed to be strong the other way, and just let tears fall.

And that was what Hanamiya did, as he felt Furuhashi's chest pressing against his. Sobbing, he grabbed Furuhashi's back, his whole body shaking and he himself being unable to stop the tears from falling. He didn't truly agree with Furuhashi's thoughts, but he knew that he would eventually need a moment like that. On one side, he thought that a hug would be useless; on the other, however, he knew that he'd need it.

-I've told you this before, but you're doing very good - Furuhashi held back some minuscule tears as he stroked Hanamiya's back, finally showing some empathy.

"I love you", he whispered into Hanamiya's ear, embracing him as if he was the most precious thing to exist.


	6. Day 6 - Hanamiya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last drabble won't be angsty, don't worry.

That day, Hanamiya didn't attend school. He'd forced himself to attend class during the previous days, but now that his depression had hit its lowest point, he truly couldn't bring himself to do anything. Hanamiya had also told his teammates that he could handle all of it by himself, but that he would need some time alone, thus leaving the team in Furuhashi's hands.

It had now been one week since that accident, and the few times which Furuhashi had seen him, he'd seen a fairly weak Hanamiya in front of him. All which he'd done at Hanamiya's home had been taking care of his garden and helping him clean and rearrange some rooms, but he still felt like it wasn't enough. In fact, he wanted to do something special, maybe unexpected, in order to cheer up his captain; something which would hopefully help him regain his smile.

He'd begun discussing it with the other boys during breaktime.

-I don't know if it would be a good idea, Furuhashi - Yamazaki opened his bentou, grabbing his chopsticks afterwards. - I mean, he wanted us to leave him alone, and this whole thing fucked him up. Not that I don't care about him, but-

-I know that. And I'm also aware of the fact that it won't help Hanamiya immediately recover from his depression - Furuhashi said all of this with a deadpan face. - Just improving his mood a bit will do.

-You mean - Hara slurped his noodles -, that you wanna throw a surprise party or some shit?

Furuhashi nodded. Rather than a party, he wanted the boys to drop by at Hanamiya's home, to stay with him for a short while and even attempt to cheer him up, while also reminding him of the fact that they would be there for him.

It wouldn't be an easy task, and Furuhashi didn't exactly believe they would be successful. More than that, he thought that Hanamiya would just tell them to leave as soon as they arrived at his home. Either that, or he'd simply rely on small, trivial excuses such as that he didn't need anybody and that he'd be able to handle it all by himself. All of this just to keep an image which he didn't need to keep any longer.

Deep inside, however, Hanamiya knew that he couldn't do it alone.

-Not exactly. I simply want him to stop feeling like shit, even if it's just for a moment.

-But, Furuhashi, fucking think about it! - Yamazaki interrupted rather loudly, dragging some attention towards himself. - We can't just show up at his home like that, I mean-

After Seto came back from the canteen, he patted Yamazaki's shoulder with such strength that it made him shut up almost immediately. The redhead stared at him with disdain on his eyes, unable to comfront him directly, and Seto sat down along them.

-Kojiro knows what he's talking about. Plus, Makoto shouldn't get angry at us for any reason other than we're skipping practice.

Yamazaki was still strictly against that visit; he would still attend practice, even if he was the only third year to do so. He knew that he couldn't change any of the other boys' minds, but someone would have to watch over the team now that both its captain and vice-captain were gone.

···

At his home, Hanamiya was nowhere to be found. Everything remained as clean and tidy as the day before, when Furuhashi had chose to help him with his chores. His mother's picture remained untouched, and it didn't look like someone had been at that place before. The genkan was also empty, which suggested that Hanamiya had probably gone outside.

-Just called Zaki - Hara muttered, leaving that home. - He's still pissed off at us because we're worried about Hana-chan.

-Leave him alone - Furuhashi lazily replied, as he sent some texts to Hanamiya, hoping that he would reply. - If I'm not wrong, he probably went to the mart nearby. But I'm not certain about that.

-Should we look for him then?

Both Furuhashi and Seto ceased speaking for a moment. Unlike many other times, they weren't dealing with one of Hanamiya's tantrums or with his occasional breakdowns after losing a match, since it was a familiar whom he'd lost. Hanamiya wouldn't come back to his usual self for a while, and they were well-aware of that; even Furuhashi, the one with a serious lack of empathy, had felt bad for him.

None of them expected a domino-like effect coming from Hanamiya's depression, nor they expected him to recover any quickly. Just like they did with their dirty schemes, they'd have to handle that situation with care, while making sure that Hanamiya's depression didn't worsen too much.

-Personally, I think it would be preferable to wait - Seto spoke, leaning against the wall. - Besides, Makoto wouldn't be any grateful if we just-

All of the sudden, Hara grabbed both Furuhashi and Seto by their shoulders, dragging them towards him, for no exact reason. It seemed like Hara had noticed something which they hadn't.

-Look to your left, dude. We've got some friends.

And they turned to the left side, where they saw a small figure standing. Both Furuhashi and Seto initially thought that it was someone other than Hanamiya, until that person began walking and they noticed that they were holding some sort of bags. Furuhashi felt like walking up to them and helping them out of the blue, but he tried to keep such impulse away from himself.

Hanamiya slowed down as he got closer to his home, staring at the group of boys which had gathered around them, and which kept looking at him; except that, as soon as he saw him, Hara withdrew his gaze from Hanamiya, acting like he hadn't done anything. It wasn't like Hanamiya would get angry at him for such a small nuisance, though. He hadn't even been surprised upon seeing his teammates peek at him.

He stopped in front of them, leaving the bags on the floor, and turned to them afterwards. If Hara could say anything about him, it'd be that he looked like shit.

-Kojiro - Hanamiya fixed his eyes on said boy -, I've already told you.

-Seems like you'll never learn - Furuhashi slightly narrowed his eyes at him.

-Learn what? - Hanamiya cackled, hiding his insecurities under a smirk. - You're the one that doesn't learn. I'll get over this myself. You three can go back to the gymnasium.

Hara, who had initially thought about remaining quiet thoughout their conversation, suddenly had an impulse which he couldn't quite control. Even if Seto tried to stop him, he would just keep on going.

-You gotta stop pretending you don't give a shit about your teammates, _Hanamiya_ \- Hara scowled at him, and the black-haired boy remained apathetic at them. - You know it. You need someone to fuckin' help you, but you refuse to acknowledge it because of some strength bullshit.

Hanamiya's expression didn't change the least. He turned away from his teammates and grabbed his bags once again, hoping that they would soon stop bothering him.  
However, he had to admit that both Hara and Furuhashi were right; he refused to acnowledge that he needed help in order to overcome that accident. It had even made him feel selfish at one point, knowing that he could perfectly rely on his teammates yet refusing to, because confronting such a situation himself made him, somehow, feel accomplished with himself.

Hanamiya truly hadn't learnt anything from Furuhashi's words the day before. Not that he hadn't believed and acknowledged him; given his current state, however, it had become nearly impossible to trust anybody around him, no matter how much they tried to empathize with him. He'd even stopped trusting his teammates, whom he'd nearly stopped talking to.

-N-Not trying to sound rude, but really - the boys turned their gazes towards Hanamiya. Furuhashi looked disappointed; Seto, concerned, and Hara was simply angry at him. - You got yourself a bunch of friends, who are willing to help you when you're going through a hard patch. And what do you do? Tell them to fuck off.

-For once, I've got to agree with Kazuya - Seto's expression changed from a concerned one to a softer one, even showing a tiny grin. - I'm not trying to sound cheesy, but just bringing yourself out of bed is enough to prove that you're strong.

-Man, that doesn't even sound like something which you'd say!

As Hara laughed at Seto's comment, Furuhashi turned to Hanamiya. He still looked awful, with those empty eyes and overall skinny, rotten look of his. That was what Furuhashi had thought by simply looking at him, until he perceived a small shade of light on one of his eyes, which may have been triggered by Hara's comments. Hanamiya didn't look any particularly happy, but one could tell that both Seto and Hara's words had managed to improve his mood.

Hugging him in the middle of the street, with Hara looking at them, would certainly be awkward. Thus, Furuhashi had been left with a shortage of options: making more positive comments was one of them. It could be even more awkward than the hug, given his looks, but it would be worth it.

-You've heard them. I- no, we're alright with you missing practice and school, but remember to be safe. Besides - he stopped for a moment, holding his urge to hold Hanamiya's hand -, your mother would be really proud if she saw you right now.

-Furu's right. I mean, look at yourself. You wake up, you make your own food, and you clean a whole house, all by yourself. And you've never given up, man - Hara smiled, patting Hanamiya's shoulder. - You're really damn strong, and you gotta keep that in mind.

While Hanamiya didn't feel exactly moved by those words, he knew what they were talking about. If he hadn't learned his lesson the day before with Furuhashi, then he had probably learned it by now, subsequently recalling his mother's words and what she'd taught him about strength.

Tough choices and self-punishment weren't always a proof of strength, no matter how much he insisted. Relying on his teammates and close friends had been an option which he'd ignored until then, when three of them had shown up in front of his home, willing to make him understand that he didn't have to confront such a challenge by himself.

And, no, crying wouldn't ruin his 'Bad Boy' image. In fact, he only showed that specific image during matches. Nor would do showing signs of weakness, unlike he'd thought throughout most of his life.

He gave them a smile and lowered his head, picking up the bags from the floor. All of the boys seemed relieved at this.

-You know what? - Hanamiya smirked, turning his head towards his home. - I might coach you later, after I'm done with the plants.

That was the Hanamiya which Furuhashi wanted to see.


	7. Day 7 - Hara's birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How about something Soft after a bunch of angsty drabbles?

It was well-known that Yamazaki’s memory could suck at times. His mind went completely blank during exams, he often had to repeatedly ask for homework, and he had to bring the grocery list with himself all the time. Sometimes he’d even forgotten about which day of the week it was, particularly during summer.

For him, it seemed like his brain loved playing dirty tricks on him. Because, while he usually forgot important things, he could still recall useless facts, such as one of his favorite character’s birthday, or certain combos from fighting games. He’d immediately forget a mathematic formula right after class, just to talk about what happened on one of his favorite manga afterwards.

Yamazaki also constantly forgot about birthdays, even his own. He’d nearly forgotten about Furuhashi’s birthday days ago, if it hadn’t been for Hara taking him to the dead-eyed teenager’s home. Earlier that year, he’d done the same with Hanamiya’s, and his own brother’s as well. It had always been Hara the one to remind him.

And, speaking about Hara, he’d forgotten about his birthday too. The redhead had woken up on the 3rd of July, unaware that it was his soon-to-be-boyfriend’s birthday.

-Zaki - the blond giggled, holding the redhead’s hand as they walked -, you know which day is today, right?

-Eh, yeah… Totally! - Yamazaki lied. He really had no fucking clue. However, he felt like that day had something different to it.

Yamazaki couldn’t believe himself. Soon, he’d noticed that he’d forgotten one of his best friend’s birthday. If Hara ever knew about this, he’d be more than disappointed; he would either throw a tantrum at the redhead, have an anxiety attack or just slap him for a good reason. And Yamazaki was only ready for the slap: he couldn’t stand seeing Hara break down. Especially when it had been his fault.

…Or maybe Hara would just laugh it off, making fun of Yamazaki’s poor memory afterwards. In case Hara ever found out about Yamazaki’s mistake, the redhead would even pray for something like that to happen. Anything but having Hara yell at him again.

-I wonder where you’ll take me… - Hara said, on a dreamy tone.

All the places which the redhead could think about were the arcade, the shopping center and that one music shop which Hara loved more than anything. He was the least romantic person he could think of: even Furuhashi, the one that had the feelings of those of a fridge’s, would’ve had it easier to set up a decent date. Even Seto, who wasn’t any interested in romance, could’ve pulled off a better one.

Yamazaki could just take him to the arcade and play music games against him until they got tired, then head to the closest fast-food chain in the area and perhaps make fun of their teammates. Afterwards, he’d take him to a music center, where he’d have to bear with Hara telling him useless facts about his favorite band. And, once Hara was done talking, Yamazaki would take him to a park nearby, and simply kiss him as a excuse for not having a gift.

…Maybe that didn’t sound like a poor date at all. But Yamazaki knew that he could do much better than that. However, what he didn’t know was that Hara would be more than alright with Yamazaki singing a birthday song to him.

-Well, uh… Since it’s, like, a special day, why don’t you just tell me where you wanna go? - Yamazaki covered all his insecurities under a shy grin.

There was an awkward silence before Hara said anything, and Yamazaki initially thought that he’d suspected about him. Yamazaki still couldn’t recall Hara’s birthday at all, but given the way Hara was acting, he’d thought that it was a special day.

Another thing which Yamazaki wasn’t aware of was that Hara already knew that the redhead had forgotten about his birthday.

-The arcade!

-You have any particular reason?

-Nothing really, just that I’d like to try and beat Zaki’s ass on a fighting game.

Yamazaki nearly growled at him after such a comment. 

Things didn’t seem to change for them: during Sundays, they would often meet at the same arcade. Hara would be unable to beat Yamazaki at racing and fighting games, whereas Hara himself was unbeatable when it came down to music and rhythm ones.

Maybe Yamazaki would let Hara beat him this time.

···

For many people, Hara was beautiful. Perhaps it had to do with his fair skin, his hands, or the way in which he smiled. Maybe it was on his recently-bleached her, or in his hidden azure eyes, which gave him some sort of enigmatic aura. Girls from his class -and sometimes, guys- thought that he was rather handsome. And Yamazaki was one of those guys.

However, Hara’s beauty vanished pretty quickly: once he opened his mouth, he’d let go a bunch of quirky nicknames and just gossip in general, which turned many people off. He’d become the bad-mouthed talebearer he was often known as, particularly at the basketball team. _Particularly_ when he felt like he’d been given some sort of freedom to cuss and pester his friends.

 _Particularly_ at the arcade, each time he lost against Yamazaki.

-Dude, fuck this shit! - he complained, grabbing Yamazaki’s shoulders as he pouted in front of him. - I thought you’d let me win, you ass!

-Hara - Yamazaki smirked, holding his laughter -, _get good_. That’s all I’ve gotta say.

He pulled Hara off as the blond whined at him. Over the years, Yamazaki had slowly gotten used to Hara’s childish behavior, as well as his short tantrums and his silly nicknames, and Hara had also gotten used to the redhead’s anger issues and his clumsiness.

Their flaws simultaneously got them closer. Hell, even Hanamiya himself had once mentioned that they would make for a nice couple, and not ironically. The rest of their teammates thought alike, although most of them didn’t really care about their relationship.

When it came down to their families, it was totally different. Hara’s family had been surprisingly accepting, with his older brother claiming that he could do anything with Yamazaki as long as they weren’t stealing at a conbini. But what had surprised Hara the most was the fact that his parents, the both of them, had been alright with him coming out as bi. Yamazaki’s parents, however, had been drastically different; since he came from a strict family, however, Yamazaki hadn’t been expecting a positive response, especially because of Japan’s general attitude towards LGBT+ people. Only his older brothers had supported him, and that was more than Yamazaki had expected.

Yamazaki had found a cheerful person in Hara, whereas Hara had found a trustworthy person in Yamazaki. They complimented each other’s flaws. At places such as the arcade, however, it was an exception.

-You gotta let me win at something, man.

-I don’t know… - Yamazaki pouted, holding Hara’s hand as they walked towards some music games. - But I’m pretty damn bad at that one dancing game. Maybe-

-Actually, I’m not really in the mood for them - the blond blew a bubble.

Yamazaki remained silent for a moment. Initially, he’d thought about Hara’s response as something bad, since Hara was usually in the mood for DDR. He wanted to stay at the arcade longer, playing darts against Hara and sending embarrassing Snapchats to Hanamiya in order to cheer him up.

The redhead began to doubt about their quasi-date until he bothered to listen to Hara.

-But - Hara smiled, grabbing Yamazaki’s arm as a bunch of people looked at them - I want Zaki to take me to the conbini.

-Are you sure you don’t wanna do anything else here, though? I mean, we’ve only been here for like, half an hour, and we usually spend one or two…

-Yeah, but this whole month’s gonna be full of exams, and I’d like to get decent grades for once. Plus - he withdrew himself from Yamazaki’s arm, playing with his hair -, you told me that we’d do anything I wanted during my birthday.

Time stopped for Yamazaki once he heard that goddamn word.

···

_Birthday._

Yamazaki knew that he’d forgotten something important; not homework or exam dates, which he’d previously written down on his calendar. Ever since he first met Hara outside his home, he’d felt like he’d forgotten something. But he hadn’t expected that something to be Hara’s birthday.

No. It couldn’t be possible. After all those days which he’d spent thinking about a possible gift that didn’t suck, and during which he’d planned some sort of date for that day, his brain had decided to ruin everything and had even made him forget that Hara had a birthday. The same had previously happened to him with Hanamiya’s, Matsumoto’s and Furuhashi’s, as well as his own father’s, but Yamazaki hadn’t really cared back then. Well, maybe he’d felt bad after forgetting his father’s birthday.

But, Hara? Yamazaki had a terribly cheesy crush on him, which had shown up towards the end of their second year of high school, and Hara also seemed to be in love with him. Or so he’d thought, since Hara was affectionate to pretty much anybody, particularly towards Yamazaki.

Yamazaki couldn’t truly forgive himself for having forgot Hara’s birthday, especially after seeing how he’d behaved throughout the entire day. He hadn’t bought any gifts, nor had congratulated him once they met before, and doing so out of the blue would be awkward for the both of them. And, unless he came out with some sort of excuse, he’d have to face the consequences of telling Hara that yes, he’d forgotten about his birthday and hadn’t bought him that one DVD which he wanted to own.

-Dude, you’re spacing out or something - Hara lowered himself to grab some liquorice. - Is everything alright?

-Uh, yeah… How about we get some onigiri? - he forced a smile which added to Hara’s doubts. - Apparently they have dog-shaped ones-

-You forgot my birthday, didn’t you?

Yamazaki could perfectly hear the music from that lawyer game on his head. He’d been spotted, because of his inability to keep a secret. Still, Hara had been suspecting since they’d met earlier, after Yamazaki forgot to mention that it was his birthday.

Also, Yamazaki would’ve probably given him his birthday gift.  
The redhead stood there, completely defeated, as Hara grabbed a bag of crisps from the shelves behind him. But the worst part about this had been that Hara hadn’t sounded disappointed at all; in fact, he’d sounded more than alright with it, as if he’d already gotten used to it. Which, to him, wouldn’t really be surprising at all.

-Fuck, I’m sorry-

-No need to apologize, man - Hara smiled at Yamazaki and dragged him closer, pecking his cheek and accidentally dropping the crisps. - Damn, my bad…

-No, b-but really - Yamazaki stuttered, scratching his hair as his cheeks slowly turned cherry red. - I’ve gotta apologize.

Hara hushed him right when he was about to continue. At this point, Yamazaki could even forget everything about him and he wouldn’t be any surprised; but, surprisingly, Hara didn’t like those kind of exaggerations.

-I already knew Zaki would forget about my birthday. You literally forget all of them - Hara giggled before Yamazaki’s reddened cheeks. - Also, why did you think I’d be offended? You forgot Hana-chan’s birthday twice and he wasn’t amused.

-Yeah, but that’s because he is, well, Hanamiya. Anyway, why are we even talking about him? - he slightly rose his voice as the cherry tone of his cheeks vanished, lowering himself to grab the crisps bag. - It’s your goddamn birthday. You know, I-I’ll take you to the park and you’ll talk about that band you like while I push your swing.

Yamazaki had read Hara’s mind.

···

The park was lively as usual, surrounded by numerous children playing around and, now, two bored teenagers who hadn’t thought about any other possible place to hang out. Women looked at them as if they were strangers, while the children lowkey wanted to pick a fight with them, given their looks, and the fact that they were holding hands.

A year ago, Yamazaki would’ve pissed himself at the very thought of holding hands with Hara. Even talking the slightest about their relationship made him regret all of his life choices, especially when Hanamiya was listening to it. He’d never been truly ready to speak about their relationship and even consider Hara his boyfriend until that year, when Yamazaki finally learned that he shouldn’t care about people’s thoughts as much as he did.

That’s why Yamazaki thought it would be a good idea to stop Hara right before he headed to the swings, to give him a proper birthday gift.

-It better be quick, Zaki.

An embarrassed Yamazaki aggressively dragged Hara closer to him, locking their lips on a kiss that barely lasted a second. People all around the park stared, rather sickened, as Yamazaki withdrew his lips from Hara’s, his face turning red again in the process.

Much like Yamazaki’s previous kisses, it had been incredibly awkward. So awkward that Yamazaki had even felt the need to apologize for it, just like with his previous kisses. They were sloppy and proved that Yamazaki had no clue on how to kiss, but Hara loved them. He loved them because they were Yamazaki’s, and thus, they were unique, even special to him.

-I-I guess that counts as a b-birthday gift, right? - Yamazaki accidentally rose his voice, thus increasing his awkwardness. - A-Anyway… Ha-Happy birthday, _Kazuya_.

Hara inevitably brought him on a long, tight hug, as a gratitude sign, just to hide his awkwardness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm amazed at the fact that some people actually participated on kdweek aside from me ;0c

**Author's Note:**

> There is going to be at least one JoJo mention in one of these drabbles.


End file.
